Supermarket checkouts

A matter of principle?

I hate self-service checkouts (except for one or two items) as something invariably goes wrong and I have to wait for a member of staff to sort it out!

I use the self-service for a few items in Aldi. A member of staff usually has to come to sort something out. I prefer however to use a traditional check out as once they start they’re very efficient.

Some of the larger supermarkets near us never have enough staff on them self service and I’ve complained on more than one occasion.

People a best imo

I'm the opposite - I would always opt for the self-service tills whenever I can. They're much easier and quicker to use in my experience.

We went to Tesco this morning to do a top up shop, arrived about 6.30. They normally don’t open until 8, but it’s nearly Christmas.

Only self service checkouts open, which we rarely use, got on ok, but still had to have an assistant come over as we had alcohol.

Prefer a manned checkout for a weekly shop though.

I don't understand it either, scan it bag it and pay, i use scan and pay all the time and only get held up when they want a check on my shopping which is once in a blue moon. There are rarely more than a couple of people at the scan tills and always a colleague around.

Our Morrisons often only has self checkouts operating, and usually some of these have upside down baskets on them meaning they are out if order. Long queues, but no call for extra staff.

I always use a hand-held scanner where possible, so I can pack straight into my own bags and don’t have to unload onto the belt. Sometimes it calls for a random check but that’s more than compensated by the time saving over the course of a month.

I did four years on the checkouts at Waitrose and always encouraged customers to try self-scan. If fewer checkouts are open it means those staff are deployed on stock replenishment, which makes the customers’ experience better than facing half-empty shelves. There are never enough people to keep transferring goods from the warehouses to the shelves.

We always use Sainsburys Smart Shop, we went this morning, had two large bags full of shopping and just went to check ourselves out, no queueing. The manned tills were quite busy but nothing like years ago when there was no option to self check out and there were queues along all the aisles meaning shoppers had difficulty in reaching what was on the shelves and staff used to give out chocolates to people while they waited to be checked out.

I find manned checkouts faster.

By the time the self serve ones have declared there's an unexpected item in checkout area, and it's been sorted, I could have paid for and be packing my goodies away.

I use both. I find the Aldi self serve ones very quick and efficient but Coles ( similar to Sainsburys) pretty dire and you often have to ask for assistance. Our supermarkets are, on the whole, less crowded than the British ones. I couldn’t cope with crowds all hanging round and pushing each other round the freezing compartments last time I was there, felt like screaming. Probably that is better these days, I would imagine.

I remember how years ago the queues for the tills stretched all the way to the back of our local and very large Sainsbury’s!
Staff went up and down the queues with mini mince pies and Quality Sreet - it was a great atmosphere!

I always use self-service checkouts.
It gives me more idea of what I have bought, and how much it costs.
I like playing shops.

I have used self scan since it came to the local Tesco. I sailed through the self scan checkout yeasterday whilst the manned tills had very long queues, I would never go back to the unloading and packing at the till, it is so slow and tedious in comparison.

I always use self scan, packing my shopping as I go, I’ve got better things to do than queue, I’m afraid.
Even our little Tesco has self scan.

I went to Aldi this morning for a few everyday items and even early in the morning it was heaving - people with large full trollies. The checkout operators were doing a sterling job and very cheerful. I never use the self checkout at Aldi, but always at Morrisons. Our Sainsbury’s self checkout is an absolute nightmare - small wonder the assistants are grumpy.

This thread has just reminded me of an incident in Tesco, Kingston Park, just outside Newcastle - probably 20 odd years ago.
DD1 and I had gone for a few last minute bits and although the queues were horrendous, we were enjoying free Quality Street and banter with others waiting …….. until a couple of ladies tried to push into the queue with enormous overloaded trolleys nearer the tills. There was a near riot/fight and security called. It transpired that the ‘place’ was being held for the other trolleys by a then Newcastle footballer and his wife, with their own trolleys. Words were exchanged - basically we didn’t care who he was, who he played for and his colour was totally irrelevant!
A security guard whisked him away before Police arrived and the incident made the local newspaper.

We scan our shopping in Tesco. Very easy and easy to pay. Sorted

We went to a large Tesco early-ish and it wasn’t busy. By 10.30 there were a lot more people there but we queued behind only one couple at the check out. I wasn’t prepared to scan a whole trolley full of groceries. I don’t work there!

I hate self service and self scan. I’m trying to keep local folk in jobs so ask for staffed checkout. Self service isnt popular where I live thank goodness and is probably due to out aged local population plus there is very little in the way of employment.

Self-scan checkouts must be a shoplifters Heaven: is it a coincidence that supermarket thieving is on the increase with the corresponding numbers of self-serve locations?

Nobody was “sailing” through the self service checkouts at our Tesco this morning. People seem to have got so used to them that they seem happy to queue up to use them. The manned checkouts were really quiet and I got through and out before I’d have made it to the front of the self-service queue.

Self check out last week I had eight separate problems in a regular sort of shop.
It was more than a little annoying.

I really can't see the point of putting shopping in a trolley, then onto the checkout, then into bags while making polite conversation with someone I don't know (yes I'm a grumpy old woman 😅)
I love self scan shopping, straight in the bags at Tesco yesterday morning, no need to queue for paying. Home by 10am. Husband collecting turkey at village butchers on Monday
Job done
🎄

RosiesMaw2

I remember how years ago the queues for the tills stretched all the way to the back of our local and very large Sainsbury’s!
Staff went up and down the queues with mini mince pies and Quality Sreet - it was a great atmosphere!

There was an assistant wandering round our store today offering chocolates to shoppers. I thought it was a nice touch!